Nothing's Everything
by Notoyax17
Summary: Set between R1 and R2. Zero finds himself seperated from Lelouch. Is it possible to fall in love with who was once part of you? Lelouch/Zero. Please R & R!
1. Chapter 1

**As you may or may not have noticed, I usually listen to music when I'm writing. When I write something that seems weird compared to everything else it's because whatever song I was listening to at the time shot at idea into my head with a BB gun. Painful, but still worth it.**

**Kylie Minogue – Can't get you out of my head, Daniel Bedingfield – Gotta get thru this, among other things.**

**This fic occurs in the space between R1 and R2.**

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A black gloved hand raised itself into the air. Its owner stared at it curiously, turning the appendage this way and that as he studied it. Crimson eyes blinked slowly, thoughtfully. The figure sat up slowly and looked around. The grassy clearing he lay on seemed vast. In the far distance, he could make out the contrasting darkness of a road running through it on one side and the rushing texture of a flowing river near it.

The man looked down at his form. Oddly enough, the gloves were the _only_ things he was wearing. He ran a gloved finger down his form. Lithe, but not scrawny. Well defined abdominal muscles as well as biceps, calves, etc., without seeming awkward on his slender frame. Not to mention _another_ well formed appendage.

He reached up and took a strand of hair in his fingers. Jet black, smooth, and silky to the touch. The man let out a breath and lay back on the ground, staring up at the quickly darkening sky. This body and this mind, both were so close to what he knew…and yet worlds apart.

Who was he?

Lelouch vi Britannia? No…Lelouch Lamperouge? No… He could feel it. The person who bore those titles still existed. Still existed…apart from him?

The man covered his eyes with a hand and let out a frustrated growl. He stood up and broke into a run. He paid little attention to the odd sensation of grass breaking and moving beneath his feet and between his toes. All that mattered was who…what he was.

Reaching the riverbank (it was closer than the road), he fell to his knee before it, the last remnants of the sun casting light on his reflection. Clear crimson eyes stared up at him unblinkingly. They narrowed then widened as the winged symbol the geass began to form. Red turned to sliver, their glossiness and the black lining about the irises the only indication of their separation from the rest of the eye.

"I am not Lelouch…" the man whispered, absently surprised to find his voice slightly deeper than remembered. "I am…Zero." A slow smile crept onto the reflection's lips.

"I wonder…" he murmured, reaching out and ghosting his fingers over the reflection that looked so much like the teen whose slender…precious…body he'd once shared, "If I am nothing, then are you everything? Does that make me yours? Or rather…Does that mean I can make you mine…Lelouch?" (1)

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"Lelouch? Lelouch!"

WHAP!

Said teen cringed, his head dropping to hit the table he sat at. He lifted himself up and gave the President, who just had just hit him with a rolled up version of their budget report (like a _dog_), a tired glare. So what if he had been sleep…err…thinking deeply about important topics, that didn't give her the right to hit him.

"What?" he asked dryly. The older teen tilted her head and smirked.

"You have no idea what we were just talking about, do you?" She asked. Lelouch cringed. They both knew he didn't. He saw no point in admitting it.

"Oh! We were just talking about the- OUCH!!" Rivalz cried as his toes met an untimely end beneath the heel of Milly's shoes. The blue haired teen hunched over and starting taking deep breaths to keep himself from letting out a _manly_ scream. The other 2 members of the Student Council wisely remained silent. Lelouch glanced back and forth between the president and secretary, his 'I'm so screwed' senses going into danger levels. A sweet smile appeared on the woman's face.

"Since you seem so tired, I'm going to be nice and give you an easy part in our next event." She said. Lelouch blinked in confusion. That…didn't seem right.

"In exchange for what?" he asked. The blond frowned, looking sincerely insulted.

"In exchange for nothing." She said, a concerned expression forming on her face. "You're my friend, Lelouch. And you've honestly seemed really tired lately. I just figured that maybe I should go easy on you for once." Lelouch blinked in surprise. She was right. Believe it or not, they really were friends. She was always pulling weird stunts so he'd just _assumed_… He couldn't help or deny the feeling of guilt and love that filled him.

"I'm sorry." He murmured, smiling softly up at her. "Thank you, Milly." She smiled back and crossed to his side of the table and gave the slighter teen a warm hug.

"It'll be really easy, I promise." The boy nodded gratefully. "OKAY THEN!" She continued, "Let's get this started! You all know your parts!" The other teens nodded. The prince looked around curiously, wondering what his part was, or even what their event was. Nina came over to him and gently took him by the arm. She tugged him over to the supply closet, where she stopped and began to pull out pieces of cloth.

"Nina, what exactly am I supposed to do?" he whispered. The mousy girl looked over her shoulder at him before turning to face him fully, looking as guilty as one would after drunkenly sleeping with a close friend's lover. The boy frowned.

"Um…well…we're doing a play…" Lelouch raised an eyebrow encouraging her to continue. "And…well…you're going to be playing…Aurora."

"Aurora?" he asked.

"…Sleeping Beauty."

Twitch.

"DAMMIT MILLY!!!"

"You've already accepted the part Lulu!" she called.

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Zero walked calmly along the roadside, as if he weren't essentially naked. It had been 2 hours, it was dark out and the road had remained empty. He half considered simply walking _in_ the road, but decided against it; the grass was much easier on his feet.

Light flooded his back. He stopped and looked over his shoulder as a white and blue 18-wheeler truck came barreling down the road. The truck passed him in a rush, the backlash tossing his hair every which way. The truck screeched to a stop and slowly backed up along the empty road. It stopped so that the passenger door was right before him. The white door opened from the inside to reveal a burly looking Britannian man. His eyes scanned Zero's slender frame and raised an eyebrow.

"Need a ride?" he asked, seeming to forego addressing the obvious. Zero smiled coolly up at him.

"Yes, thank you." He said, climbing into the large vehicle. He shut the door behind himself and crossed his legs as he put on his seat belt. The man reached into the back area and pulled out a black ragged blanket. He tossed it to the teen before putting the trunk back in gear and staring on his way.

"Where ya headed?" the trucker asked in a gravelly voice.

"As close to Pendragon (2) as possible." He replied.

"Name's Rick. How'd ya get all the way out here?" Rick the trucker asked.

"I'm Nihil. (3) And I'm afraid I don't know how I ended up here." He said with an amused smile. Rick watched him in his peripheral vision and laughed.

"Well okay then! Why don't you get comfy. I'm not going to the capital, but I'll wake ya when we get close. Get some food in yer stomach, clothes on yer back, huh?" Zero smiled up at him.

"Thank you." He murmured. "Is there anything I can do for you? I'm afraid I've no method of repaying you." Rick gave him a smirk.

"Don't nobody need a reason for doing something nice." He stated. Zero tilted his head thoughtfully.

"If only everyone lived by that philosophy." He said absently, reclining into the leather seat. Rick hummed softly in solemn agreement.

They rode in silence for several hours, during which Zero spent the time between watching scenery and sleeping so still one would think he were awake. Which Rick commented on when they reached their first pit stop.

"What are you, a doll?" he asked. He was answered with a long silence. "Yo. Nihil. You awake?" The teen tilted his heads towards Rick. Crimson eyes opened and stared at him.

"Yes?" he asked, sound completely wide awake. Rick raised an eyebrow.

"Were you asleep?" he asked. Zero remained silent for a moment before blinking slowly.

"Hmm? Yes. Yes, I was." (4) He finally answered. Rick chuckled softly. Despite appearances, the kid was so bleary he might as well be on pause. The teen looked around and raised a curious eyebrow at the trucker.

"Rest stop." He said. He reached into his pocket and took out 2 bills. "Here's 40 bucks. Get yerself some clothes, food, and whatever." He stated. Zero's eyes softened a bit and he gave the man a small warm smile.

"Thank you." He murmured taking the cash and smoothly brushing past the man. Rick shivered slightly as the boy passed. If he weren't a tough guy he would have flushed. He massaged his temples with his middle finger and thumb. He couldn't believe he'd let himself come so close to being that affected by someone who was essentially still a child. A child with a body models would be jealous of, mind you, but a child nonetheless. He sighed.

Zero entered the rest stop, the black blanket wrapped under his arms and over one shoulder like a toga. Heads, male and female turned and cocked in an attempt to see up the short piece of cloth. While Zero wandered the aisles unaffected. What did the attention of these people matter compared to that of Lelouch?

He looked at each object with slight interest before walking past the hair aisle. He paused momentarily and reached up to touch his hair. He really did look like Lelouch, didn't he? From what he remembered, the boy had been captured. And yet, in his heart or mind, he knew his love to be safe. Walking around looking like him wouldn't help though if someone connected should see him.

Zero scoured the aisle, picking up each box and setting it back down. He couldn't imagine seeing himself in any of these colors. He picked up another box. Silver. He considered that for a moment. Silver hair and red eyes. He could pass himself off as an albino, which would be convenient should anyone ask. His lips twitched up in a slight smile as he added the product to the once empty basket. After a couple minutes he was able to fill the cart with other necessities: junk food (the only real kind offered), fruit bars, toiletries, and a couple of cheap souvenir clothing.

Rick walked up to him at the cash register, where Zero had easily (as in he hadn't actually been trying) gotten a discount for his purchase from the flustered but flirty male cashier. That was in addition to the free items he'd been given by several of the older women in a mixture of motherly and 'I wonder if he's into cougars' levels of kindness.

Rick eyed Zero's load. "Did you even _need_ money?" he asked incredulously. Zero simply smirked at him as they exited the store.

"Are you in any rush?" he asked. The man blinked curiously.

"Nope. You need to do something?" Rick asked. Zero fingered his hair.

"I wanted to do a quick dye job." He stated.

"Seriously?"

"Is that alright?"

"Sure. I'll even help ya out. Used to dye my girl's hair back in the day." He boasted. Zero chuckled.

"I'm glad to have a professional." He said.

They entered the restroom where a man was using one of the urinals. He looked over his shoulder at them, eyes really taking the time to process each curve on Zero's body. The young man continued over to the sink, oblivious to or simply not caring about the lustful glances being sent his way. Rick, however, was not so lenient. He shot the man a dark glare that would have had the jerk losing control of his bladder had he not already emptied it. Now that the predators were gone, they could work in peace.

Rick had the teen bend over the sink and place his head in it as the trucker stood over to the side of his client and got to work.

45 minutes and 12 death glares later, they were done. Rick undid the towel around Zero's head to reveal sterling silver colored locks all the way down to the roots. Zero was impressed, and for once his expression showed it.

"Nice, huh?" the trucker asked proudly. Zero ran his hands through his hair.

"Very." He breathed in awe. Rick smirked.

"Well then, Nihil. Now that we're done here, what do you say we get back on the road?" The passenger smiled up at him.

"Let's." Zero followed the man outside and stared up at the evening sky. Had it really been a whole day since he had awakened? Despite the various lights in the area, the stars were clear and many. They were beautiful and yet imperfect, random. He closed his eyes as he walked and took in a deep breath of the autumn air. _'Soon, Lelouch. Soon I'll be where you are…I swear."_

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**Okay… so here's that. I had an urge and scratched it! Yay! For once, I actually have a general idea of where I'm going with this. I hope you all enjoy it. Please read and review!**

**(1) Does this make sense to you all? Zero is the 'nothing' that was derived from Lelouch the 'everything'. If this needs more explanation, let me know.**

**(2) Pendragon is the city they live in right? If it's not, let me know.**

**(3) Nihil – Classic Latin for the number 0. I considered using Rei, which is one reading of the Japanese word for 0, but figured that someone who was clearly a Britannian wouldn't have a Japanese name. So good enough right?**

**(4) Anyone who has ever watched Disney's Phineas and Ferb probably recognized this. This is a shout out to an incredibly funny cartoon show with great musical numbers in every episode!**

**Also, for anyone worried, Rick the trucker won't be around much longer. He was a means of getting Zero to Lelouch.**

…**Yup. I think that's it. If you have any questions or anything, feel free to review or pm me.**

**Also, READ MY OTHER STORIES (+++ Shameless advertising...now available in cookie dough and strawberry kiwi flavors! +++) **


	2. Sorry

**Hello all. Sorry but this isn't an actual chapter. At the moment I REALLY have no idea of where I'm going with story. It was pretty much written on a whim, and whims are…you know, **_**whimsical**_**, so it's kind of hard to write something that's decent. I'm seriously trying to avoid completely bull-shitting the next chapter. **

**I really need some help, because I'm totally blanking out whenever I try to write the second chapter. **

**I hate to ask, but if possible I would like someone to help me out with it. Anywhere from just giving me ideas to co-writing it with me. **

**If anyone's interested of just wants to give an idea please pm me.**

**Also, don't worry; when I get the next chapter up I'll take this thing out. **

**And because non-story chapters apparently aren't allowed have fun with this ==**

Once upon a time in the land of Britannia, there was a prince. His name was Lelouch. He was loved by all. Which was why he wasn't suspected at all when the other members of the royal family died in a freak 'accident'. By accident we mean that the train they were in had burst into flames. The top of the train had also been lined with oil to spell something in the fire: "Lelouch was here". Of course, the police assumed that it was just a coincidence. Lelouch was a very common name. Just because no one could think of another Lelouch that they knew in all of Britannia didn't mean that the name wasn't common.

And thus the case was closed and the young prince ascended the throne and became king. And so he lived happily ever after, that is, after he had his armies wipe out those of other countries and took control of the world. A very happy event…for the people who survived. And were Britannian. And happened to be named Lelouch.

All that mattered is that _he _was happy. After all, what does the happiness of pawns matter compared to that of their king?

And the moral of the story is: Don't be gullible. There is such a thing as being too much of a coincidence.

**Boredom is a horrible thing. Really.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the LONG delay. Sometimes when I have writer's blocks I tend to blank out for a while. No matter what ideas I have, I can't think straight enough to string them together. So, so weird.**

**Anyway, I've now sort of figured out what I want to do with this story, so the updates will be a little more often.**

**That said, I really don't know where I'm pulling this story out from. Half the time that I spend imagining things for this story (especially the first part), I vaguely wonder if I somehow got high without knowing it (keep in mind that I've NEVER tried drugs. Just say NO, kids). Worse than that, I can imagine myself pulling this nonsense sober. Weird. ^_^;**

**I'm leaving up the author's note (Ch. 2) just because it's kinda cute and some people seemed to like it.**

**This chapter's seems a little short, but I hope you all like it anyway!**

* * *

_He was floating. _

_It was as if he were underwater, floating beneath the surface of a cool lake. Violet eyes fluttered open slowly to see an unfocused light. He blinked slowly up at the light, the circular white sun undulating slowly in response. He lay there like that for several moments, simply staring forward absently through a half lidded gaze. In the back of his mind he was vaguely aware of the fact that he wasn't breathing. That he hadn't done so for some time. But it didn't seem relevant…important. It was just a fact to him, like the fact the light was white. He allowed his eyes to fall closed._

_He felt a finger ghost its way up either side of his form. The teen shivered beneath the touch, frame twitching and shifting into it. One of the hands placed itself against his slim stomach, sliding up his chest slowly. When it reached his neck, it twisted to caress his side of neck with the back of its fingers. The backs of smooth nails gently traced the curve of his neck along his jaw line before cupping his cheek. Lelouch opened his eyes again slowly. Crimson eyes stared down at him beneath the water. Their owner smiled warmly down at him and mouthed something he couldn't understand. Lelouch blinked up at the person in confusion. _

_He wasn't afraid. Why wasn't he afraid? Was it simply another statement of fact? That he simply _couldn't_ fear this person?_

_The other's lips parted and his body shook minutely as if in a chuckle. He leaned down so that their foreheads touched. Crimson eyes narrowed and the person's amused expression shifted into a loving one. Lelouch's eyes closed as he felt the first touch of foreign lips brushing against his own. The other person moved so that his lips we now next to the smaller teen's ear. _

"…" _the person murmured, words lost in their liquid medium. "Lelouch…" he breathed softly. Said teen shuddered at the sound of his name spoken, glossing over his mind like silk. "Lelouch…Lelouch…"_

"Lelouch!!"

Lelouch blinked in surprise as he was grabbed roughly by the wrist and jerked up out of the water and into a seated position. The former prince blinked blearily, the now very relevant lack of oxygen further clouding water clogged eyes.

"Nii-sama…" A voice called shakily. He didn't move for moment, and then his gaze lolled to the side. This earned him a hard shake from whoever was holding him. "Nii-sama! Nii-sama, stay with me! Look at me!" Lelouch slowly raised a hand to rub his eyes then hold his head. He let out a soft cough then took a couple slow deep breaths. That felt _so _much better. He looked up finally into the horror stricken face of his younger brother. He moved the hand from his head to cup the boy's cheek and smiled gently.

"Rolo, it's okay. I'm fine. I think I just spaced out a little for a second." He murmured appeasingly. The younger teen frowned, unconvinced.

"You fell _asleep_." He stated. Lelouch moved slowly up onto his knees and leaned over in the bathtub. He held Rolo's face with both hands now.

"I didn't. I'm fine, really." He replied in his most confident voice. Rolo's eyes narrowed and he stared at his brother warily. He sounded so sure. He really did…Lelouch probably would have gotten up on his own, right? The fifteen year old sighed and nodded to himself. There's no way his brother would have simply _allowed _himself to drown in a two foot tall tub. Recognizing the look of acceptance in those large lavender eyes, Lelouch smiled.

"Help me up, will you?" he asked. The brunette nodded obediently and took his brothers hands and helped pull him into a standing position. When Lelouch climbed out of the tub, Rolo blinked. Slowly. Lelouch was _naked._ Sure, he had realized that the teen had been taking a bath, but… The boy eyes widened and he turned away flushed.

Lelouch grabbed a towel from the rack and began drying his hair, movements still sluggish from the time spent without air. He looked over his shoulder at his brother who seemed to be inspecting the bath's tiles. The former prince ventured closer to the smaller Lamperouge.

"Rolo?" he asked quietly, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. The brunette jumped and spun around reflexively to come face to face with his brother. He stared up at Lelouch with wide eyes which flicked down for less than a second. Shaking dirty images out of his head the small teen quickly shifted his way around his brother and all but ran out of the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

"I'm going to go get ready for classes!" he called, not daring to look back. Lelouch blinked in surprise and chuckled softly. The brunette was always so jittery.

Now that Rolo was gone, Lelouch sighed softly and let his body fall to its knees, the towel falling away forgotten. Slender fingers weakly grasped the bathroom countertop. He pressed his forehead against it and stared down at the ground. He still felt dizzy from before. Violet eyes closed and he began to breathe slowly, trying to restore his oxygen level as quickly as possible. Crimson eyes stared at him behind closed lids, forcing his eyes to shoot open again.

He tilted his head up and stared at himself in the mirror. Confused violet eyes stared back at him. Lelouch turned his gaze to the marble tub.

"What _was_ that?" he whispered. He closed his eyes pressed his forehead against the counter again. It had just started with periodic bouts of exhaustion and now he was experiencing ones of narcolepsy and hallucinations?

"What's wrong with me?"

X=======X=======X

A sliver haired man stepped into the establishment with the calm air of an aristocrat that frequented the place. He wore a button-up black suit coat with a white dress shirt, red tie, and black leather pants underneath. Black heeled boots and silver rimmed sunglasses completed the look. He looked like the devil and smiled like one too. Hot enough to set aflame the souls of sinners and angels alike. Those crowding the entryway to the inner part of the building parted for him, eyes following his every move.

He was stopped by a bouncer who guarded the door separating the inner halls from the entryway. He peered down at the teen with a frown and crossed his arms.

"Hey kid, you old enough to be here?" he asked. The teen smiled calmly and took off the sunglasses. He stared up at the man with eyes that matched his hair.

"I'm 18. Step aside." He answered. The bouncer's eyes widened minutely and he smiled warmly.

"Yes sir. Of course." He murmured. He opened the door and stepped aside with a low bow. Zero walked in and the door was closed quietly behind him. A now crimson gaze was greeted by a rainbow of flickering lights and a symphony of ringing sounds and excited voices. Pocketing the sunglasses, he looked around the casino until he found the table he was looking for.

Blackjack.

He strolled up to the table and took a seat. He spared the female dealer a smile. She blushed deeply and smiled coyly, dealing him some cards.

"You ever play Blackjack before, kid?" asked a voice from beside him. Zero inclined his head to look at the man beside him. He was in his late 40s, mustached, slightly rugged, but wealthy looking. The type to womanize at every opportunity, if the two blond bombshells hanging onto his shoulders were any indication. The man gave him a perverted smile, not bothering to disguise the fact that he was undressing the teen with his eyes. Zero's eyes narrowed though he smiled ever so slightly.

"No. This is my first time." He said. Technically not a lie. "I do know the conventions of the game, though." The man let out a loud boisterous laugh, to which his girls and the other men at the table added their own laughter.

"Theoretical and practical are two totally different things. Come in here banking on those theories of yours to win you big will get you losing bigger." He said. Zero tilted his head in amused concern.

"Well then," he murmured, propping his elbows onto the edge of the playing table and resting his chin on the back of his hands, "You guys will go easy on me, won't you?" a slow suggestive smile crept onto his lips, "I'd hate for my first time to hurt…_too_ badly." He finished, narrowing his eyes. The entire table fell into silence. For the first time, even the womanizer's smirk had escaped his lips as a collective shudder ran through them. The rugged man raised a hand a ghosted the silverette's cheek.

"Don't you worry baby. I always go easy on my virgins." He said. Several of the other guys at the table glared at the man, each swearing their own gentleness to the teen. Zero gave them all a warm smile. He waved a hand in a sweeping motion to indication the table and their laid cards.

"Shall we then?"

Thirty minutes later found Zero 102,000 dollars richer. Only 42,000 of which was from the house. From the get go, the other players had bet high in hopes of impressing the sliver haired vixen. And they had gone easy on first couple hands. So when Zero won those, it was no surprise. Each man had intended to win back what they'd lost as well as the bets of the other players and Zero's affection. But he kept winning. Of course, he had allowed them each a win every now and then, and if they looked as if ready to cut their losses, he would look at them out of the corner of his eyes seemingly disappointed and saddened. And to add to that, other men had joined their game after catching sight of him.

What did he even need his geass for if looks were all that was needed to manipulate?

The womanizer let out a laugh at the game's end, an attempt at seeming unaffected by the 'minor' loss. "You pretty good for a virgin." He observed with another weak laugh. Zero smiled calmly back.

"I had a very good teacher." He flattered. Counting cards may have helped. _Just a little._

"Well then, why don't you treat your teacher to a nice dinner at _your_ place." The man murmured, licking his lips.

"He can't. He'll be coming with us." A voice answered for him. Zero looked up to see a couple of bouncers glaring menacingly down at him. The silverette smiled innocently.

"May I ask where we'll be going?"

"The owner wants a word with ya." One answered. Zero blinked curiously, but inwardly smirked. _Perfect._

"I suppose it wouldn't do to keep my host waiting, hmm?" he murmured, standing up. The bouncers nodded their expressions growing a little less menacing. It was a rare day where they could pick up a guy without a struggle. 'Womanizer' opened his mouth as if to protest but was silenced by a glare from the bouncers.

Zero walked with the men on either side of him down a long hallway in the back of the main playrooms. Keeping his head facing forward, he allowed his eyes to skim the hallways and note anything of interest: escape routes just in case, the number of personnel, excessive signs of wealth, etc.

His eyes narrowed as he remembered his events leading up to this moment.

--------

_Zero exited the large truck at its final stop, Calderon, a city just 4 kilometers south of Pendragon. Rick came over to the passenger side and leaned against his vehicle. He gave the teen a mildly concerned stare._

"_You gonna be okay on your own? You got somewhere to go?" he asked. Zero smiled warmly up at him._

"_I can take care of myself. Don't worry." He said. The trucker nodded and placed a hand lightly on the teen's head. It was weird. He felt the urge to treat the silverette like the kid he still was and yet doing so felt awkward. Perhaps because nothing about the boy said he was a child. Simply young. Like jailbait. Dammit._

"_You got someone special waiting for you at home?" he asked. Zero's eyes widened slightly and then his entire form seemed to soften at that thought._

"_Yes. I do." He said quietly. Rick chuckled._

"_Lucky kid, to have gained _your_ attention." Zero shook his head._

"_No. I'm the lucky one." The trucker raised an eyebrow._

"_Must be a beauty."_

"_Like you wouldn't believe." Zero answered. They fell into a relaxed silence for a moment. Zero was the first to break the silence._

"_How much do you know about the Britannia Underground?" he asked. Rick frowned._

"_Literal or dirty deal type?" he asked quietly. Zero raised two fingers. The man closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Okay. That depends on what you want to know about." He continued._

"_Counterfeiters." Zero stated. Rick's eyes shot open._

"_**Money?**__" he asked in a shocked hiss. Zero's eyes narrowed._

"_Of course not." He stated. _

"_Why would you want to know about stuff like that?" Zero gave an exasperated sigh and looked away with a slightly pained expression._

"_I have to find someone before I can go home. But…those are the types of people he hangs around with." He said quietly. Rick stared at the teen in concern. It looked like Nihil was involved with people he knew he couldn't trust but had no choice but to._

"_The counterfeiters in the mainland play pretty dirty. I don't know a lot about them, but I can tell you one thing: they're always connected with the big casinos. Guess those guys have the money to afford buying black market stuff in bulk. If at all possible, I'd avoid the whole thing if I were you. Whoever you're looking for is _not_ worth the risk of getting yourself sold as some sort of pet." Zero blinked in surprise at that._

"_They're running that kind of business too?" he asked. Rick scoffed._

"_And then some. Someone with your looks shouldn't go near that shit with a mile long stick." He muttered. Zero nodded in understanding. _

"_Can you tell me the name of the biggest casino?" Rick scowled deeply._

"_Nihil…"_

"_Please." The boy stated staring up at him with an expression that said he would _not_ be denied. The trucker let out a mix of a sigh and a growl._

"_The Equinox Palace." He muttered, looking away. Zero smiled warmly and reached up to cup Rick's face and turn him to face him._

"_Thank you." He murmured as crimson eyes lost their color. _

"_Now…Forget this conversation."_

_It took two days to make his arrival. He had ordered one man to drive him into the city, another to sell him a car for free and then he simply had to flirt with a couple salespersons to get several days worth of outfits. _

_It was time to begin._

_------_

The first bouncer, a black haired man with a goatee, opened the large gold double doors at the end of the pathway. He walked in and held the door open for the teen. Zero gave him an appreciative nod as he entered the room. There were several people in the room, the obvious leader being the broad-shouldered blond in a sequined red suit and a fluffy white cat in his lap. Zero resisted the urge to laugh.

"Well, well. What do we have here? A pretty little rabbit that's ventured too far from home?" he cooed, motioning the teen closer. Zero drew nearer, walking with a calm that the men mistook for naivety.

"My name is Nihil. You must be the owner of this lovely casino." The owner smirked, taking care to peruse every inch of the teen's frame. He stood and took the silverette's chin in his hand.

"What a beauty." He whispered under his breath. "Yes, I am the owner, Oswald Groused. I hear you won quite a killing at the tables." He said. Zero smile genially.

"I did." He said, "But those guys went pretty easy on me until I learned the ropes. I suppose I'm a natural." Oswald raised an eyebrow and frowned.

"I'm sure." He muttered. He let go of Zero's face and began to circle him. "You wouldn't happen to know of any…tricks… that would allow one to win easily, would you?" he asked. Zero tilted his head, mildly curious.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Oh, you know, trick lenses…counting cards…" Zero raised an eyebrow himself then smiled.

"Counting cards?" he asked, "Why yes, yes I did." He stated nonchalantly. All of the other men started. What kind of person just _admitted _that to a room of armed men? "I wanted to meet you, Mr. Groused. It seemed like the simplest way to get your attention." He continued. Oswald's eyes narrowed and he walked back to his seat. He picked up his cat, sat down slowly and crossed his legs, staring down his nose at the teen.

"You have it. I do hope you realize the kind of situation you've gotten yourself into, little rabbit." He sneered. Zero eyes narrowed but the confident, relaxed smile never left his lips.

"I do. Do you?" he asked. The men blinked in surprise at the teen's audacity. Oswald leaned forward and smirked.

"My, my. The little rabbit has a bite, however slight. Cute. What is it you want?" he said.

"Access to your best counterfeiter." He stated. The owner blinked slowly.

"Oh, really? Fine. And in return, you have to come work for me. As my little pet." He agreed easily.

"No." Zero deadpanned. Oswald snapped his fingers. His men withdrew their guns and knives.

"You talk as if I'm giving you a choice." He sneered. Zero's eyes narrowed so that they were almost closed. He took a couple steps forward, enough to put the men on guard but not attack. He put his hands in his pockets and leaned forward so that he stared Oswald in the eye at his eyelevel.

"You talk as if I'm giving _you_ one." He murmured, crimson eyes losing their color once more, as the geass overtook them. Oswald's eyes widened slightly. "Now, now. You _will_ give me anything I ask for, _won't you_." He stated more than asked with a tinge of sweetness. The owner's eyelids lowered and he smiled warmly at the teen.

"Of course!" he chirped, "Anything for you, little rabbit." Zero returned to an upright position as the geass deactivated.

"Thank you, I'm quite grateful." He replied, a slow smirk creeping onto his face. Looks of confusion flittered on the faces of Oswald's enforcers. They had no idea as to what had just happened.

Though some couldn't help but feel as if they'd just made a deal with the devil.

------

_Burn, angels, burn…in a pyre of torn wings… _

_Dance, demons, dance…to the melody of their screams…_

_Sleep, humans, sleep…till the chime of the bell…_

_And awaken, awaken… in the catacombs of hell…_

_Having flown far too close to the sun, the helpless little moths were doomed to forever burn in their lovely, lovely hell._

_So flitter and scream…flitter and scream._

* * *

**I'm sorry. I have NO idea where that last part came from. I just felt the urge to add it. The bell refers to a poem by John Donne – For whom the bell tolls. When people died, someone rang the bell to let the whole town know. Something like that. **

**That aside, here are some notes.**

**Please don't attempt to go looking up a CG city called Calderon. It's BS. I was trying to come up with a city name that started with C and my spell checker was telling me Calderon. It sounds nice, doesn't it? If you find that Calderon actually exists somewhere in some way, let me know!**

**Sex jokes…heh. ^_^**

**The $102,000. Is that a good number? I mean these guys are all rich, but I'm not sure if that's too high or too low. Oh well. Just think of it as a really big amount. (Also explains where the Black Knights gets their funding, huh?) **

**It took me SO long to figure out that thing with Rick. I honestly just wanted to skip the whole thing, but obviously that's bad for the readers.**

**You guys get the rabbit reference right? You know, albino?**

**That's all folks! Please read and review! It's 3 in the morning, but I stayed up for this! (For some reason, I only sit down for these things late evening, despite lazing around all day).**


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